Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

These  eight decision-making tactics  from  David Lahey ’s book,  Predicting Success , are helpful to me and hopefully useful to you as well: Deep breathing , to clear your mind. Researching , to feel confident that you have all the information in front of you. Listing your options , in either verbal or written form, to keep the whole picture front of mind. Following through on the possible outcomes , complete with likely predictions and acknowledgement of whether they’re negative or positive (or design yourself a decision tree, that lays out every possible consequence visually). Testing your intuition , by imagining a committed decision and then gauging the corresponding feeling it inspires in your gut. Taking the time you need , so long as it doesn’t become an overly indulgent distraction. Evaluating your decision , an after-the-fact exercise that engages a conscious inventory of the lessons learned. Coming to terms with your pick , always cognizant of the reality ...

Be sure to check out the book,  The Decision Makeoever , by  Mike Whitaker . It's a fascinating look at decision making and the importance of  decision size and timing . As you read the book, you'll gain a better understanding of: The power of decisions Why we make bad decisions How to deal with bad decisions How to deal with regret How to take control of decision making How goals and decisions can help each other Perhaps the most significant part of the book is the author's perspective on goals. " Knowing your goals is the key to making good decisions ," says Whitaker. "Because goals and decision-making are so intimately intertwined." Therefore, he advises that you: Keep a few key goals close : Choice five prime goals and stay focused on them. Decide which goal is top priority and always give it favorable treatment  when making decisions. Know that when a decision overlaps a prime goal, it becomes a prime decision . And, prime de...

Leaders make decisions. Good leaders are willing to modify their decisions as changing circumstances and data dictate. If you are stubborn about a decision and think that tweaking your decision will be a sign of weakness, think again. In fact, just the opposite is true. Often, circumstances change and new information becomes available after a decision has been made. If that takes place it is a sign of strength to modify your decision to fit the new situation.

Today's leadership advice comes from the 2014 book, Decide : "Tasks that you are driven toward by Gain produce more significant positive results in your life and your business than tasks that you are driven toward by Prevent Pain ." And, before you hold your next meeting at work, remember that a "Gain focused meeting will move your business forward versus a Prevent Pain meeting, which will simply keep you from falling behind."

Many years ago, I worked with a person who could not make decisions.  Neither big nor small decisions. That indecisiveness paralyzed our business in many ways. Unfortunately, the book, Decide:  Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress, and Lead by Example , had not been published.  Had it, I would have shared it with my co-worker. Decide , published this past February, teaches readers how to make better decisions based on the real results they want to experience. The author, Steve McClatchy, explains how to use the two forms of human motivation -- Gain, or Prevent Pain , to make more effective decisions.  For example, he demonstrates how inserting a Gain task in the middle of a Prevent Pain day can give you the energy you need to move forward and make the Prevent Pain tasks take less time through motivation. Deeper into the book, you'll be reminded about not only the problems with procrastination, but also about the benefits of procrastination, and, if you are ...